Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae juxtaposes the brutality of war with the innocence and hope of youth. Tenebrae was composed in 2000 and was inspired by two contrasting events in the composer’s life during that year. The first event was a visit to Israel where the Argentinian-Israeli composer found himself amidst a new wave of violence in the Middle East. Only a week later, he visited the New York City planetarium with his five-year-old son who for the first time viewed the earth as a small blue dot orbiting amidst the stars of the cosmos. The inner section of his Tenebrae conveys the aggression and brutality he witnessed in Israel. But the meditative outer movements serve as the antidote. The serene music which opens and closes Tenebrae describes the innocence of his son’s awe which he observed inside the tranquil atmosphere of the planetarium. Golijov writes that the music is intended to be listened to from different perspectives. If one listens from afar the music portrays a serene texture. But if listened to closely, there are tense undercurrents evoking the pain of the ongoing war in the Middle East.

from notes by Calidore String Quartet © 2018